The present invention relates to an enhanced network architecture for providing Calling-Party-Pays billing services for customers of a wireless telephone network, such as cellular or personal communication service (PCS) customers. More particularly, enhancements are provided for calls originating from wireless phone units that are directed to Calling-Party-Pays customer wireless units.
Wireless telephone communication systems have evolved from the initially introduced Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS) technology to more sophisticated digital-based air interface protocols. Digital access technologies have been developed based on Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) schemes. Although these digital access technologies have advantages with respect to analog-based systems, they have not yet been deployed in as many regions as AMPS-based systems. However, digital cellular subscribers in many areas presently are offered continuous coverage via dual-mode wireless telephones capable of switching between a digital mode (e.g., CDMA) and an analog mode (e.g., AMPS).
Ordinarily, charges for wireless services air-time charges are applied to the party subscribing to the wireless service. The wireless carrier bills, either directly or through the local exchange carrier, a monthly subscription fee plus per-minute fees for telephone communications over-the-air to and from each subscriber""s telephone. A wireless subscriber is charged for the air-time, both on outgoing calls and on incoming calls directed to the subscriber""s cellular or PCS telephone. In contrast, call charges for landline telephone service usually are billed to the subscriber associated with the calling station. Alternative landline billing arrangements are available for collect call billing or 800/888 type xe2x80x9ctoll-freexe2x80x9d calling.
The costs for wireless air-time has tended to be high, compared to costs for traditional landline telephone services. In light of high costs and the fact that charges are incurred for air-time on incoming calls, many wireless subscribers have been reluctant to distribute widely their wireless telephone numbers. Such subscribers tend to utilize their wireless telephone for outgoing calls, as needed, but disclose their wireless telephone numbers to a limited number of friends or family from whom they are willing to pay to receive calls. Calls from relatively unknown parties, e.g. solicitors and nuisance sources, thereby are avoided.
To overcome these issues and to Encourage increased wireless usage, the wireless industry has developed a modified billing arrangement, commonly referred to as xe2x80x9cCalling Party Pays.xe2x80x9d The intent of the service generally is to shift the air-time charges for calls to wireless telephones from the wireless subscribers to the callers. The calling party would pay for all network charges, in a manner more like that used in the normal landline service billing. A number of techniques have been developed for processing and billing call charges on a Calling Party Pays basis.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,331 to Emery et al. discloses an intelligent network type integrated wireless and wireline system for processing calls to and from a Personal Communication Service (PCS) subscriber""s wireless handset via a home base station or a public cellular network. The service logic in the integrated service control point (ISCP) facilitates a variety of service enhancements to the wireless PCS service. One of the disclosed service enhancements is calling party pays. When the intelligent network functionality detects a call to the PCS customer""s number, the network accesses a call processing record for that customer. Based on that record, the network screens the call based on the caller""s identity. If the caller is not a recognized party, the ISCP database causes the network to play an announcement asking the caller if he or she is willing to pay all charges for the call. If the PCS subscriber is currently registered via a public wireless network switching office, the announcement would ask if the caller is willing to pay for the air-time necessary to complete the call via a wireless link. If the caller accepts the charges, the ISCP provides messages to a landline switch and/or to a mobile switch to instruct them to complete the call and to add charges for the air-time to the calling party""s telephone bill.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,379 to D""Amico et al. discloses an AIN-based PCS service similar to the Emery arrangement. D""Amico adds further details to the calling party pays operations of that network. When a call directed to a mobile subscriber is detected, the call processing is stopped to determine if the calling party pays feature is in operation. At the same time, the network collects data regarding the calling party for analysis. If the called subscriber is using the calling party pays feature, the ISCP analyzes the caller data to determine if the caller is on a list of those individuals not required by the particular mobile service subscriber to pay for cellular charges. If the calling party does not fall in this category, the network provides an announcement to the calling party, asking the calling party whether or not the calling party is willing to pay for air-time necessary to complete the call. If the caller indicates willingness to pay for the air-time, the AIN network functionality obtains correct billing information, and the network completes the call and computes the cellular charges.
In systems such as those of Emery et al. and D""Amico et al., a landline carrier typically operates the intelligent network and performs the routing services, for certain aspects of the follow-me functionality of the PCS service. The carrier operating that network also performs the billing services related to the Calling Party Pays feature. If the caller is a subscriber of the landline carrier, that carrier adds the air-time charges to the subscriber""s normal telephone bill. The landline network carrier, rather than the cellular carrier, bears the responsibility of billing the calling party.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,664 to Burns et al. discloses use of a central database to determine whether to bill a calling party or a called party for charges for completion of a call to a mobile telephone. The illustrated system includes switches of a local exchange carrier network, switches of an interexchange carrier (IXC) network, one or more mobile switching centers and a service processor with announcement facilities, service logic and a database. If a calling station dials a telephone number of a party who subscribes to the calling party pays service, the local exchange switches extend the call to the originating IXC switch. The originating IXC switch provides a message, containing the dialed telephone number, to the service processor. The service processor retrieves a record corresponding to the dialed telephone number, and causes the announcement platform to provide an announcement regarding the pricing of the call through the network to the calling party. If the caller responds to the announcement by staying on the line to indicate acceptance of the charges, the service processor instructs the originating IXC switch to record billing information and notifies the billing system to charge the caller""s account. The service processor also provides the mobile identification number (MIN) for completion of the call, to the originating IXC switch. The IXC network includes an indicator, preferably in the form of the dialed number, together with the MIN in the signaling to the mobile switching center, as an indication to inhibit normal billing for the call.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,667 to Neustein discloses a paging network. The system utilizes an automated attendant, which prompts a caller for desired information, to make a page. As part of the control of a paging operation, a central processor checks the profile of the paged party in the profile data base. The profile data enables the system to provide a number of enhanced services to paging service subscribers. In one of the enhanced services a paging party pays for the service on a per call basis. With the disclosed calling party pays type paging service, the caller calls the nearest central station and dials in the number of the pager he desires to page. The caller then enters his own billing number, for example his own telephone number or calling card number. If the billing number is valid, the system accepts an alphanumeric message or voice message from the caller and initiates paging of the called party""s paging apparatus.
While all of the systems described above provide some level of effectiveness in billing for air-time to the calling party, each has certain practical limitations in actual use. When implemented in a real network, typically one carrier actually performs the calling party billing service for the wireless service provider. For example, using the Emery et al. type approach, a local exchange carrier might contract with a cellular carrier to perform the Calling Party Pays billing. In the Burns et al. system the IXC performs the billing. In the Neustein system, at least some billing is done through a separate credit card or calling card company. All of the prior art systems have been subject to some leakage, because invariably, the company processing the bills can not efficiently bill every type of caller.
As a practical matter, the carrier performing the bill processing function can pass the Calling Party Pays charges on only to those calling parties with whom that carrier has some type of existing billing arrangements. The local exchange carrier example actually provides the most effective solution, because on a very large percentage (typically 80-85%) of calls to the wireless telephone customers the callers are within the service area and are customers of the local exchange carrier. In such cases, the local exchange carrier can easily add the Calling Party Pays charges to the normal telephone bills for the callers. However, some calls will not originate from customers of the billing carrier. In the local carrier example, that carrier has no billing relationship with parties who make incoming calls through an interexchange carrier, parties calling from payphones, parties calling from a hotel or motel or hospital, parties served by a competing local exchange carrier, parties calling from other wireless networks, etc. Calls that the billing carrier can not process to bill the charges to the calling party are considered xe2x80x9cleakagexe2x80x9d with respect to the Calling Party Pays service.
The wireless carrier could elect not to complete calls that the billing carrier could not process for Calling Party Pays service (leakage), and the carriers would set the call processing logic accordingly. However, the types of incoming calls that the network completes are then limited. This blockage of certain calls affects the attractiveness of the Calling Party Pays service to wireless customers and sends a conflicting message to subscribers, particularly when the wireless carrier also is trying to encourage subscribers to widely distribute their wireless numbers to potential callers. To broaden usage in spite of leakage, some carriers have completed all incoming calls, and the wireless service carrier and/or the billing carrier has absorbed the leakage as a cost of doing business. The carrier(s) involved then must charge higher fees for the services or accept reduced profitability when compared to wireless services billed in the normal manner. Particularly from the point of view of the wireless carrier, who normally charges a per minute fee for all air-time, any completed but unbilled calling party pays calls essentially appear as lost revenues.
The other option for handling the problematic types of calls is to complete the calls to the subscriber but charge the air-time rates to the called subscriber. This approach is at odds with the purpose of the Calling Party Pays service. The subscriber would not know if an incoming call receives the Calling Party Pays treatment or accrues an air-time charge to the subscriber""s own account. As a result, the wireless service subscribers would remain reluctant to distribute their wireless telephone numbers to large numbers of potential calling parties, who may call in such a manner as to still generate charges to the subscribers.
A need thus exists for systems and methodologies which enable one or more carriers to provide Calling Party Pays wireless services, with little or no leakage, i.e. no class of calls that the carriers cannot efficiently bill to the calling party. The above-identified copending application, Ser. No. 09/456,550, and incorporated herein by reference, addresses the above stated needs and overcomes the stated problems by providing a network architecture and call processing logic, which enable Calling Party Pays billing for calls to wireless subscribers including incoming calls that would otherwise leak through the billing operations of the principle carriers. A landline network routes incoming calls for a Calling Party Pays subscriber to the wireless carrier""s network. The landline network recognizes each call that is subject to Calling Party Pays billing. If the carrier operating the landline network can bill a party associated with the calling station, that network routes the call to the mobile carrier""s network and creates records for billing for the air-time. However, if the landline network cannot bill a particular calling party, the landline network hands the call off to another switch. This switch provides access to one or more alternate billing facilities. The alternate billing facilities preferably include a clearinghouse and a credit card billing system. A database indicates whether it is possible to bill for the air-time through the clearinghouse. If so, the switch completes the call to the mobile carrier""s network and creates appropriate records to enable the clearinghouse to bill the air-time to the party associated with the calling station. If the caller is not billable through the clearinghouse, the switch extends the call to the automated credit card billing system. The credit card system makes all necessary records to bill the air-time charges for the call and bills the time against the caller""s credit card account.
This arrangement as disclosed, however, would not provide the Calling Party Pays billing service in a call placed by a wireless station to another wireless station in the same system because no provision presently exists for passing such a wireless call to the landline local exchange carrier (LEC). Instead, routing and completion of the call would transpire within the mobile system, thus bypassing the landline Calling Party Pays system. While this system could be modified to send all mobile to mobile calls out to the LEC for screening, such a provision would create a great amount of wasted trunk traffic for calls directed to mobile destinations that do not subscribe to the Calling Party Pays service. A screening process in which the centralized database is accessed to lookup a nonexistent record frequently would occur and the processing time taken to route a call to a non Calling Party Pays subscriber would be unnecessarily lengthened.
Alternatively, provision of a Calling Party Pays screening capability in a redundant database within the mobile system itself would have attendant drawbacks. Such a provision would incur additional expense to duplicate elements that still would be necessary in the landline environment to handle calls that originate from units other than mobile system sets.
A further complication with either of these alternatives would arise in the handling of a call placed by a prepaid mobile caller to a mobile Call Party Pays subscriber set. Prepaid phone calling charge cards for pre-established amounts are commonly available for purchase at various retail vendors. A mobile phone subscriber can purchase a set amount of credit in advance of actual usage. The purchaser would then register with the system by calling in from the mobile phone to which the credit is to be applied. After successful registration, the system automatically applies calling charges for subsequent usage of the phone against the registered credit on a real time basis. As the balance decrements to established thresholds by real time call rating, announcements are transmitted informing the user that the credit limit is being approached. Any call still in progress when the total prepaid amount has been used is automatically terminated. The initiation of a prepaid mobile call to a Calling Party Pays mobile destination poses a challenge in tracking air-time charges in real time for both calling and called party usage, which often are determined at different rates, and appropriately allocating all charges to the calling party.
The present invention fulfills the aforementioned needs. An advantage of the present invention is that calling party pays (hereinafter CPP) billing treatment can be applied to a call from a wireless subscriber station to a wireless subscriber station, even if the calling station subscribes to a provider other than the provider of the called station.
A further advantage of the present invention is that various landline billing facilities are made available for calling party pays calls from mobile callers, while avoiding the need to access a land line database for non-calling party pays mobile calls. Such advantage can be achieved without providing a redundant database in the wireless telephone network.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that calling party pays billing treatment can be applied to a call from a prepaid wireless subscriber station to a wireless subscriber station. The air-time charges for both the calling and called subscribers can be rated on a real time basis and charged against the prepaid credit of the calling party.
These and other advantages are satisfied, at least in part, by linking landline facilities to a wireless mobile network for calling party pays calls between wireless subscriber units. The wireless mobile network is provided with the ability to recognize that a called wireless station is a calling party pays subscriber. Upon such recognition at the outset of a call, the wireless mobile network will route the call to a landline facility to undertake interactive communication with the calling station to determine whether the caller will agree to pay for both the called party""s air-time charges and the calling party""s air-time charges for the call. Caller authorization may be obtained, for example, by voice communication or by DTMF entry. The landline facility can then access a database to determine if the carrier with which it is associated can provide billing functions with respect to the calling subscriber and, if so, activate such functions for a carrier entity so identified. If the carrier cannot handle billing for the call, the call may then be routed to a clearinghouse facility, which either can itself handle the billing functions, if such an arrangement with the calling party has been previously established, or communicate with the caller to authorize billing charges to a credit card. The clearinghouse facility or an alternative processor platform can rate the call charges that will be applied to the credit card bill. The call can then be completed to the called station through the wireless communication network while rating of air-time charges for both calling and called parties takes place.
In a preferred embodiment, initial recognition by the wireless network that a call is a calling party pays call is made at a mobile switching center. Future development of wireless networks may provide advantageous network element alternatives for this purpose. In one preferred embodiment, a range of telephone numbers is predesignated for assignment to calling party pays subscribers. The mobile switching center is set to identify a mobile originated call directed to one number of the predesignated range as a calling party pays call. In another preferred embodiment, telephone numbers assigned to calling party pays subscribers need not be allocated to a range predesignated therefor. In the latter arrangement, calling party pays subscriber numbers will be given an immediate call forwarding status in the mobile switching center. The forwarding number is associated with the landline facility that will communicate with the caller to obtain authorization to bill the caller for the called party air-time charges. In both embodiments, calls to parties that do not subscribe to calling party pays service will not be identified by the mobile switching center for routing to the landline, but will instead be handled in normal fashion.
The wireless telephone network preferably contains a processor platform node that provides real time rating for calls from pre-paid mobile callers registered in a database associated with the node. Included in the database is the subscriber""s credit balance which cannot be exceeded by subsequent usage charges. A link to the node will be immediately established upon placement of a pre-paid mobile subscriber call, as the existing credit balance for phone usage must be correlated on a real time basis. The link will be maintained for calling party pays calls after the caller has indicated to the landline facility that billing for the called party air-time charges is accepted. The node will perform real time rating for both calling and called party charges and provide notification to the caller when the caller""s credit has been decremented to a predetermined level. Usage will be terminated upon exhaustion of the credit balance.
Additional advantages of the. present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description, wherein the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated of carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.